Austin Packing Service Tips: Fragile Items

Apr 23, 2019

One of the scariest parts of moving is figuring out how to get precious items from one place to another. As an Austin packing service, we know how serious it can be. Often, many important family heirlooms and even everyday items are very fragile and have to be moved extra carefully. Even if you hire a mover, there are still some things you should know to make sure your fragile items make it safely. We’ve gathered our top 4 tips here to help.

Plan time just for packing fragile items in advance.

If you’ve read our blog before, you know we always talk about how important it is to plan, plan, plan. This is especially important when it comes to packing the precious stuff. Fragile items like glass and crystal take time and care to pack up. You’ll want to take the time to wrap certain dishes and things individually, and multiple times, sometimes even with different material.

Doing this is takes as long as it sounds. Since individually caring for each fragile thing you have takes time, you don’t want to be rushing during the process. It’s actually during the packing and wrapping process that fragile things get broken rather than during the moving. So, plan accordingly, get the kids and pets out of the house, and make sure you have plenty of free time. If something is important to you, give it the attention it deserves when moving.

Have the right materials and tools.

Just a cardboard box won’t cut it when you’re packing up expensive china. Of course you’ll still need the boxes, but other than that, there’s plenty of other materials you need to keep handy, also.

First, make sure you have all the materials necessary to pillow and protect whatever you’re packing in the box. There are multiple things you can use for this, and it’s very possible that you have some of this lying around:

bubble wrap

packing peanuts

newspaper

tissue paper

crinkle paper

extra floppy cardboard

foam wrap

any old/recycled newspaper

If you can, try to get boxes that are specifically for packing the scary stuff. Dish pack boxes will likely be your best bet. These boxes are made with much thicker cardboard, and are better at keeping sturdy and absorbing any shock that it might get.

Last but not least– don’t forget scissors, packing tape, and the item itself. Some people would also recommend getting a large table to do this part of the packing. But unless you have a bad back or other injury, we think the floor works just as well!

Pack it right!

It’s almost tragic how silly some people get when it comes to packing fragile things. Unlike books and fabrics, you really can’t just throw stuff in the box and expect it all to work out, so here’s a quick run through of the things you should really pack right:

Glass/china plates: DO NOT stack these on top of each other! These will break extremely easily if you pack these horizontally. Instead, pack them vertically, sliding them into the box like records. Wrap each plate in bubble wrap and tape it secure, and make sure the box is lined top and bottom with another cushion material.

Glasses: Before wrapping paper around the glass, make sure there’s also some paper in it to minimize empty space. Put the heavier stuff at the bottom, and also place some extra material around everything to make sure there’s as little room for moving around as possible.

Lamps: If you can take your lamp apart, you definitely should– and you should keep the lampshade wrapped up nice and neat in a separate box. Usually, bases wouldn’t be packed in a box, but if it’s small enough and fits in a large box, make sure there’s packing all around it once again.

Picture Frames: Picture frames should be wrapped in paper separately. If you have some big ones, use crinkle paper to keep space between frames.

Weird Special Things: Wrap anything funky COMPLETELY in bubble wrap, and tape it secure. Then, use extra cardboard to box it in tightly within the box itself.

Quick, bonus tips.

Line your box! Before packing anything fragile, use a really cushiony material like foam or bubble wrap to line the inside of the box and keep fragile things from hitting the sides or edges too hard.

Remember you still have to unpack. While you should make items as secure as possible, don’t make them so secure that it’s nearly impossible to take out!

Don’t overpack with the fragile stuff. If you have too many fragile items in a box, the chances of them crashing against each other are higher. You can overpack with other things like clothes and sheets if you’re really cramming, but overall, don’t overestimate with fragile stuff.